Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Top 10 Reads of 2014

For 2014 I set a personal goal to read 150 books, but fell a bit short. I finished the year with 142 books read. I've been tracking the books I've read since 2001 and my annual totals have ranged from a low of 66 books (2001) book to a high of 203 (2009).

Although I enjoyed lots of the books I read in 2014, for the first year in many, no particular book won the top #1 favorite read for me. I put together a list of (10) books that I enjoyed the most (one is a children's book). Here goes (have you read any of these?) ---

The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly is a fable that was originally published in Korea. I was so moved by this story, I'll be recommending it again and again, and buying copies for gift giving.
At the heart of this story is Sprout, an age...

Initially I thought that, Me Before You, was probably not my kind of book as it's been called a romance by some, but after so many positive reviews, I decided to give it a try. I'm happy to say that the audio version was wonderful and I ...

Oh my goodness, what a special book. This is book that is definitely more for mothers than it is for little ones. It's a book that will make many mothers (new and old) tear up when they read it. It's a wonderful story that beautifully ...

Reader's who experienced Herman Koch's, The Dinner may recall the despicable act of two young men and the disturbing reactions of their parents. Although a twisted story, it was one I very much enjoyed.
Summer House With Swimming Poo...

The Conditions of Love, is a wonderful coming of age story which takes place in the 1950-60’s. The story begins in the little town of Wild Pea, Illinois, where young, Eunice lives with her self-centered, unpredictable, star-struck mothe...

First released in Sweden, A Man Called Ove is a delightful read.
Ove is an angry, grouchy, 59 year-old man whose wife has passed away. Sonia was his Ove's rock, seeing the bright side in everything and the good in everyone. Ove, on the...

Intro ...
“It was because of a yellow dress. She was wearing a yellow dress and her arms were bare. It was slightly tart, the colour of lemon curd. He couldn’t remember seeing a dress in that shade before. It was pleated silk and sleev...

Set just outside of London in 1922, The Paying Guests, is a literary thriller which kept me quickly turning its 500+ pages.
Frances Wray is a 26 year old spinster who lives with her 50-something mother in what was once a comfortable l...

When I first heard about Murakami's new novel, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, I admit that was a little put off by the title, but after finishing the book in just two days, I must say that afterward I felt the ti...

Jodi Picoult's latest book, Leaving Time, touched me on so many levels. It explores not only the mother/child bond of humans and of elephants, making the reader see how very similar human mothers and elephants mothers are when it comes t...

36 comments:

Something for everyone there - I know I will (eventually) read the Waters, but I had forgotten about all the good reviews I read of 'Wilfred Price' -- *adds to list* *sighs at size of list* ... Happy New Year!

I've been waiting for your list, Diane! I loved Me Before You and Wilfred Price (the sequel is being released by Europa this spring) and have most of the others on my wish list. The Paying Guests just missed the mark for me - wonderful writing, characters, and audio narration, but overall it wasn't a favorite.

It would be difficult to choose a single favorite when you've read so many books. I should have included The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly on my list. I purchased it based on your review and loved it! Happy New year!

Summer House with Swimming Pool is one I plan to pick up today. I had The Dinner as one of my favorites of the year. 150 books is a pretty ambitious reading goal! Good for you for almost making it! Happy reading in the new year.

I read Me Before You a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. Glad to see it made it on your favorites list. I definitely have several from your favorites list on my TBR list so I'm glad to see good reads await! Happy New Year!

A brilliant Top 10 with some great books, I've read Me Before You, Summer House with Swimming Pool and The Paying Guests (which made my top 10 of 2014) Happy New Year and here's hoping it is filled with many more good books.

What a marvelous collection you've presented us with! I must read The Hen someday, I've begun it, but abandoned it for some reason. I read the first few pages of A Man Called Ove at the library, and was utterly charmed by his discussion of the computer (a position not far from how I often feel). One day, I also want to read The Paying Guests. Glad we have Colorless Tsukuru in common, along with much more in our hearts. xo

I love these posts. It's fun to see what everyone's favorites are--and be reminded of books I must read. I'm not sure I had a #1 favorite either.

A Man Called Ove is one I hope to read this year. I gave a copy to my mother-in-law as a gift for her birthday last year and it was her favorite book of the year. I knew I should have made time for it sooner.

I'm really curious about Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. I haven't read anything by that author before, but that one really appeals to me.

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